Seven Human Souls
by Blazichu
Summary: No matter the circumstances, the barrier could only be broken with seven human souls. The monsters had six. (If you leave here, your adventure will really be over.) Temporary character death, mentions of suicidal thoughts.


They woke up cold.

Considering what they'd woken up, _from_ , however, Frisk wasn't inclined to pay it any attention.

Everything was so different now; they had friends- _worried_ friends- practically family within little more than a day. They still remembered why they'd jumped in the first place, still had their doubts, but, for the first time in so long, there was hope.

Their mother used to say that it was easier to live for someone else, easier to change for another's sake. Maybe she'd been right.

They giggled and giggled without stopping for breath, listening to the others' antics.

They worked against stiff and sore limbs just for the chance to say hello- or was it goodbye?- to the various monsters they'd met along their way.

They listened in absolute silence as Asriel spoke to them and froze in place when he asked why they'd climbed the mountain in the first place.

And then they started on their way back, with heavy footfalls and limp arms. It still hurt, but what did they expect? They'd climbed a mountain and crossed the underground four times.

Truthfully, by the time they reached the spot where the barrier had once stood, all they wanted to do was rest, but they couldn't do that. Frisk couldn't even remember how long the monsters had been living under Mount Ebott; they could push themselves just a little longer for their friends' sakes.

They didn't remember where they stood in the short procession- it felt like they'd led the way and ushered everyone on at the same time. They definitely remembered prodding Sans along, but hadn't Papyrus charged ahead of them, too?

Frisk had been about to brush it off and enjoy their friends' company during such a pivotal moment, but something Undyne said struck them as important. Not because it was wrong, but because it… wasn't? It wasn't a matter of anime not being real, so then what could it have been?

Staring blankly at the horizon line, they tried to figure it out until they heard their name being called.

'Ambassador' wasn't a word they knew, but saying yes to Asgore seemed to be the right answer. It made Papyrus happy, anyway, which they decided _made_ it the right answer.

Even when it was just them and Toriel, the question nibbled at the edges of their mind. It was what made them hesitate when she asked what they would do now that everyone was free.

Frisk saw the hope in her eyes and so _badly_ wanted to say that they would stay with her; the raw desire hurt down to their soul…?

But they still found themselves saying, "I- I want to stay with you, b-but I…"

Toriel smiled gently and smoothed down their hair. It wasn't the answer she'd been looking for, but it wasn't what she'd feared either. Something about her expression told them not to worry about it. "That is understandable. Perhaps once we have worked out whatever business you have here on the surface, you will not feel so conflicted." She pulled away and looked back out at the sprawling forest below, eyes shining. "But please do not think that you must spare my feelings, my child."

Her ears perked in sudden realization. "Ah, it appears we have been left behind. Would you like to catch up to the others while I retrieve Sans, or would you rather we go get him together?"

Frisk rubbed at their eyes and tried to string the words together, but was beaten to the punch.

"Or maybe we should rest for a moment. I am sure Sans will appear when he wants to."

They found a nice spot near the mouth of the cave, where it would be easy to spot any meandering skeletons but, when it seemed that Frisk had dozed off, Toriel decided it was worth the risk to go and retrieve Sans herself, even if it meant dragging him along by the hood. No matter how independent, she reasoned, Frisk couldn't wander off if they were asleep.

As they watched her go, fire in her eyes, Frisk giggled to themselves- breathlessly, endlessly. They didn't stop until their eyes drooped and the world started to go fuzzy.

In that moment they were at peace with what their life had become; they were content.

The need for determination wavered.

Without their soul to keep them alive or the determination to press on regardless, they fell limp against the stone.

* * *

It started as a game- a prank- incited by Sans.

When they emerged and found Frisk laying against the cave wall, he took it upon himself to play a two-person game of keep away. It was difficult for him to carry them and dodge Toriel's attempts to scoop them up at the same time, but that was what made it fun.

Sure, maybe she was right and it got a little rough at time, but did it matter? The kid slept through everything anyway- it may have been a big day for monsters, but it had been one _very long_ day for Frisk. He wasn't surprised that they were tired.

Things escalated when they caught up to everyone else.

Papyrus pounced on him the instant they were close enough, hefting Sans over a shoulder and cradling Frisk in the opposite arm, all the while scolding him for 'teaching the human to be so lazy'.

When Toriel made to intervene again, Undyne grabbed the three of them and marched off with Papyrus flailing on her shoulders and Sans wildly trying to steady Frisk without being too obvious about it. After it was deemed 'too dangerous' Alphys made to take a turn teasing the queen, but quickly discarded the idea and handed them off to Asgore.

"I'm not that strong.," She'd said, "And I don't want to drop them."

It was with Asgore that the joke ended. He'd had a human child. He knew that they didn't function the same way monsters did; there were more physical needs and biological quirks.

Held securely against his side, he could feel that Frisk wasn't breathing.

It was a cruel irony that, as they finally reached the surface world, he would carry a human child's body towards civilization.

Everyone else was goofing off ahead of them, but Toriel- no, of course Toriel was lagging behind and giving him the stink eye, trying to separate the two of them through sheer force of will. She noticed the instant his progress wavered, first suspicious, then with rapidly developing concern.

As she began to fuss, he wondered what had given it away- but then her face fell, and he knew.

He'd seen that expression only twice before: once when Chara passed, and once as Asriel's dust settled at their feet.

Asgore didn't resist as she took them and held them close, cradled the way she'd once carried Asriel. He found that he couldn't watch- not while she smoothed their hair down and hung her head- and turned away as she did the same.

Raucous conversation continued up ahead, carried entirely by Papyrus and Undyne while Alphys tried to keep the pace. Judge or no, he knew Sans, and shouldn't have been surprised when the skeleton cast an eye socket back in their direction.

That was it, then. All it would take was one look at his expression, and Sans would know something was amiss- and if Sans knew, no matter how much tact he tried to use, it was only a matter of time before Papyrus found out, and from Papyrus, it went to… well, _everyone_.

Before he'd even finished the train of thought, Sans was there. Maybe it was silly, but his sudden appearance still shocked a hiccup out of the king.

He spent a second assessing Asgore and, with visible reluctance, moved on to Toriel.

Asgore didn't see, but heard as the pieces fell together.

"Oh, kid… That's not how this is s'posed to work- how's this a happy ending?"

* * *

From the day they'd been sealed away, monster-kind knew what it would take to break the barrier:

Seven human souls.

When Frisk arrived in the throne room, they'd gathered six.

Nobody remembered what happened between then and the disappearance. They'd just woken up and it had been gone. It was like some wild, unknown magic; six souls and the sheer determination of a seventh had toppled the barrier.

Not even magic worked that way.

It had taken all seven to earn their freedom, but it was an easy mistake to make when the final sacrifice emerged from the ordeal seemingly unscathed, running on pure determination.

At first, they'd worried that exhaustion had taken its toll on Frisk and robbed them of life, but monster lore proved that false, too. If a human died, their soul would persist. That proved true with all the other humans, whose bodies fell before their life force did.

The removal of a soul prior to death… it sounded like some horrible experiment- a theory that Alphys was offended to hear, let alone consider the implications of. Even as the only known expert on determination, she didn't understand how it could have worked.

Eventually, as important as the field may have been, she just dropped it entirely. She hadn't wanted to study it in the first place- not after the amalgamates- and now it was especially painful.

Human funereal customs were completely foreign to most monsters- they just hadn't been alive long enough to experience life alongside humans- but, amongst the excitement of being freed, they still mourned as they saw appropriate.

As they emerged from the depths of the mountain and headed down the path that had been forged for them, they would pass a marker. The stone matched the cavern's, and the hole in the mountainside was as much a monument as the grave; the conspicuous fist marks left little wonder who had carved it out.

Though it represented the seven human souls, they all knew it was Frisk's grave, and they would bow their heads or offer a few words to the child who had freed them.

Some left physical reminders.

All who'd known them left with the same wish pounding in their hearts.

* * *

Climbing up to the top of Mt. Ebott's exit was a trial.

It made the journey meaningful to some- a show of grief for Toriel, and likely a self-inflicted punishment for Asgore- but it deterred others.

Contrary to popular belief, Sans made the effort to visit on a fairly regular basis. Papyrus argued that manipulating space and time didn't constitute 'effort', but didn't complain (much), since it meant that he was able to visit whenever he needed.

It was funny how you could know someone for a day- and interact with them for a matter of hours- and still feel the void they left months after their passing.

Today had been a hard day- not for any particular reason, but that just told Sans he could make it even worse and not feel like he'd wasted it. Probably not a sentiment Frisk would have shared but, honestly, he hadn't known the kid that well. It sure as hell _felt_ like he had, but, when it came down to it, there were a lot of unknowns.

The reverse side of the marker didn't even have a full name or birth date- just the name they'd all suddenly _known_ and an epitaph, "Friend to all monsters."

Even so, there was enough to remember: exciting the local dogs into love-fuelled knots, stacking water sausages to absurd heights just for the sake of it, the way they'd tugged on Papyrus' scarf or pushed Sans' hood up when he wasn't paying attention.

It was hardly a lifetime of memories, but it was enough to get caught up in.

When Sans snapped out of his reverie, the sun was beginning to set. From this angle, it might have been nostalgic, if not for what had come after watching that first sunset.

They really had to get going before someone thought to ask where they'd gone… and before Papyrus started crying.

It was a goal they might have met, too, if Papyrus hadn't said anything about the gentle tugging on his scarf.

(They didn't make it home before dark, and, in the end, Papyrus wasn't the only one who wound up crying.)

* * *

If you haven't seen it already, please check out tumblr user creativegreenbeans' skele-Frisk comic! It was a wonderful mix of angst and fluff, and helped me figure out where this fic was going- plus, who doesn't love a happy ending?


End file.
